Lights, camera, champion: St. Cloud 2-year-old dazzles at national competition

The Miss America Organization says contestants will no longer be judged on outward appearance.
USA TODAY

Lydia Mohs, 2, of St. Cloud shows off the crown and sash she earned at the America's Little Miss pageant July 26-29 in Orlando, Florida. Mohs captured the national title of America's Toddler Miss.(Photo: Angie Mohs)

She won that pageant and earned a trip to nationals in July — and she won that pageant, too.

The St. Cloud girl now has a "wall of fame" in her bedroom. And she's not even 3 years old.

Lydia captured the title of America's Toddler Miss at the America's Little Miss pageant July 26-29 in Orlando, Florida.

"I was surprised we came home winners," said Angie Mohs, Lydia's mother.

St. Cloud resident Lydia Mohs, who turns 3 on Aug. 10, captured the national title of America's Toddler Miss at the America's Little Miss pageant July 26-29 in Orlando, Florida. She also won awards for the prettiest eyes and best modeling portfolio.(Photo: Angie Mohs)

In April, Lydia was crowned Toddler Miss Minnesota at a pageant in Bloomington. Her parents, Angie and Chris, signed Lydia up on a whim after seeing an online post asking for competitors from St. Cloud and Central Minnesota.

After the win, they hired a pageant coach from Tennessee and have been taking lessons via Skype.

Lydia has spent hours practicing skills such as walking to specific markers on the stage and "making the appropriate facial expressions," Angie said. And Angie has spent hours crafting costumes for Lydia to wear at the competition.

“We did five outfits in three hours. It is crazy behind the scenes.”

Angie Mohs, Lydia's mom

The America's Little Miss pageant had five outfit categories: formal wear; matching outfits featuring the competition logo; fun fashion in which Lydia dressed like Disney's Steamboat Willie; costume in which Lydia dressed like Paul Bunyan to represent Minnesota; and casual wear in which Lydia wore clothing to represent cancer awareness in memory of Angie's mother, who passed away in June.

"We did five outfits in three hours," Angie said. "It is crazy behind the scenes. There's tons of moms rushing. You're helping the other moms put their kids in outfits. It's not like 'Toddlers & Tiaras.' You have to help the other mom next to you."

The entire competition is vastly different than the television show "Toddlers & Tiaras," Angie said.

The category Lydia competed in was for children ages 2-3. Lydia turns 3 on Aug. 10. She'll keep her title for the next year and is asked to return to the next pageant to crown her successor.

In the meantime, Lydia can compete in other themed pageants. She has signed up for pageants in Iowa in October and in Rochester in November. So far, she's competed in four competitions.

"She has eight crowns, and three of them came from just modeling," Angie said.

After a busy weekend in Orlando, Florida, 2-year-old Lydia Mohs dozes to dreamland with her newly earned crown and sash proclaiming her America's Toddler Miss. Mohs and her parents, Angie and Chris, and brothers Brody and Gavyn also went to Disney World on their trip the last weekend in July.(Photo: Angie Mohs)

At the Orlando pageant, Lydia also won awards for prettiest eyes and best modeling portfolio.

Despite the accolades, not everything has come easy. Angie said the competition includes a lot of footing to remember, especially for a toddler.

"It's making sure you hit all the markers on the stage," she said. "I won't say she hit them all perfectly either."

But the contestants got some help from the audience.

"I had to do the facial expressions and the stuff we learned from the coach to get her to look at the judges," Angie said. "I was that mom that looked really funny in the crowd doing the facial expressions and shaking my butt. I was the crazy mom."

Before the winner was announced, Angie and Chris were unsure about Lydia's chances at the crown.

"We knew it was close between her and this other little girl because this other little girl has beaten Lydia before," Angie said. "We thought for sure this girl was going to beat her again."

"She stood right up. She put on her sash and was like, 'I got this,'" Angie said with a laugh. "She loved that trophy. She didn't care anything about the crown. She cared about the 4-foot trophy. That thing is bigger than her."

The trophy — which Chris was able to disassemble to bring home to Minnesota — is in Lydia's room.

Angie said she is planning local appearances for Lydia. They will also be in a parade at the Minnesota State Fair this year. And Lydia will start preschool at All Saints Academy this fall.

Looking back, Angie said she and Chris never thought they'd be "those competitive parents." But it's worth it, she said, because it's something Lydia wants. The Mohses have the same parenting strategy for 4-year-old Brody and 1-year-old Gavyn, too.

"We don't push our kids to do something they don't want to do," Angie said. "So Lydia is not forced to do this because we want her to do it. She does it because she wants to do it. And we help her as much as we possibly can to make her goals."

Sometimes older brother Brody helps, too. Angie said he will jump in and start coaching.

"He's a critic, too," she said. "He'll be like, 'You're not smiling!'"

Finding local pageant parents or coaches is difficult, Angie said, because pageants aren't as prominent in Minnesota as in other parts of the country. But that won't keep Lydia from participating, Angie said.

"To have a Minnesota pageant winner, is like 'Oh my gosh,'" she said. "That was the biggest thing — our hard work and dedication paid off and Lydia's hard work and dedication paid off. We were so invested."